To say that I’ve been busy for the past few weeks would be an understatement. Normally, I’m dragging myself out of bed around 6 O’clock and I start my day off with exercise. I can only get a half hour in if I’m lucky because Rosebud wakes up soon after. Then I get us both ready for the day while trying to do random chores around the house. I spend an exhausting day at work. When I get home, I like to spend some quality time playing with Rosebud before dinner. After dinner, there is more play time, bath, reading and finally, bed. She doesn’t usually fall asleep until around 8:30. This is when I finish whatever chores need to be done.
I used to use the evenings for writing, catching up on E-mail and exercising. I want to do at least an hour of exercise each day and I am unable to do it all in the morning. I’ve been thinking of switching up my routine to find a workout that can be done in less time that has equal or better results. Anyway, since I started planning for the transcription business, my schedule has fallen apart.
By 9 O’clock, I’m exhausted. The last thing I want to do is transcribe files, but I’ve been trying. Last week, I posted about my terrible experience with a company I won’t name. This week, I signed up with Casting Words. Their application process was straight forward and things seemed accessible for the most part. However, there is not much work for beginners in the evenings. Yesterday, I took a vacation day from my regular job and I figured I’d work on some files while Rosebud napped. Of course that didn’t happen. Rosebud took much longer than expected to nap and by the time I got to typing, I was frustrated. When I opened the files, I discovered that you could only hear some of the speakers in each file. They wanted these meetings transcribed, but you could barely hear what everyone was saying. I understand this is part of the job and I will have to get use to it. I eventually found a file that was suitable and accepted the job, but when I tried downloading the audio, I couldn’t. I don’t know if it is an issue with their website or if it is an issue on my end, but I am completely discouraged.
I had to return the job, but I realized something. This is too much work for 17 cents per minute. It is 17 cents per audio minute, not for each minute you are working on the file. For example, the average transcriptionist might take 3-4 hours to type a file that is one hour long.
I have to be worth more than this. My time, energy and sanity have to be worth more than this. I have decided to take a break from practicing and applying to companies because I need my time in the evenings. I will have a meeting with a business counselor sometime in September and there may be a way that I could get help paying for training. Until then, I need to recharge.
I’m questioning everything. Is this business even right for me? If so, how will I make time to build up clients or to get the training? How can I do all of this while working at my day job that is so depleting? I constantly am wondering why I’m hitting all these brick walls. Do these signs mean I’m trying to go down the wrong path? I think I’d be good at transcription because I’m a good listener and a fast typist. I also don’t mind doing a bit of research. What draws me to the field is the idea of making information equally accessible to everyone. That is really important to me. I also enjoy learning new things and with general transcription, you never know what you may be working on from one day to the next. You could be working on a boring lecture one minute, but an awesome podcast the next. That being said, when I think about what I’m really passionate about, the things that come to my mind are being at home with my daughter and working on my writing. Unfortunately, neither of those things pay the bills. In the end, I’m still stuck with the wheres, whys and hows. Right now, I feel like I’m juggling and the balls are not staying in the air. Are you juggling? Are you trying to meet the demands of parenting, working, school or starting a new business? How do you do it? Let me know in the comments.
I’m in the beginning stages of starting a business. If I had to compare the process to anything. It would be a plant. It’s a seed right now, but every day, it gets closer to sprouting. Each day, I take one more step closer to this goal. Also, I am being inspired by different things in relation to my writing. I am thinking a lot about my past and how my experiences have shaped who I am, so I will occasionally share that with my readers. I feel that with our political climate the way it is, it is important to share experiences so we can be more connected. These days, it’s easy to lose touch with humanity. We can hide behind a screen. We can stay in our own little bubble with liked-minded people. We all need need like-minded people in our lives, but seeing other perspectives helps us grow. It seems easier than ever to exclude those who aren’t like us. They are removed from us, so it’s easy to forget that many of our experiences are the same at the roots. In order for things to improve for all of us, especially our children who are growing up in this world we don’t understand, this needs to change. What would happen if anyone could reach out and find a mutual point of understanding or a shared experience? I have to write about what inspires me even if it makes others uncomfortable. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
This weekend, I listened to the 
I talked to her last night on Face Time to tell her good night, but honestly she wasn’t that interested. She was going through her bag and when she found her toothbrush she was off for the sink. She started running down the hallway leaving the phone behind. She said a quick good night as she was headed for the sink and that was that. I’m glad she feels secure when I’m not around, but I’m a little sad too. That’s what being a parent is all about. You are preparing them to be independent and to go out into the world. Whether it’s just the first sleep over or the huge step of going off to college. There’s always a delicate balance of holding on and letting go.
This strawberry scented cupcake looks good enough to eat, but I assure you, it’s wax. I will tell you all about this wax from 
these are just a few things that make me feel my best and recharge me. The things that make you feel your best and recharge you might be totally different. What do you do for yourself that you considder a luxury?
There is so much you can get from journaling and there so many ways to journal. You could use anything from a plain notebook, a photo/art journal to an entirely digital journal. Even if you only write for five minutes a day, it can still help you. Here are a couple of books that I’ve used to get my journal started.